


One Shots

by Jestana, umbralillium



Series: Jedi Besties and Side Stories [9]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-23 19:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6128441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jestana/pseuds/Jestana, https://archiveofourown.org/users/umbralillium/pseuds/umbralillium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Filling in the gaps</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family

**Author's Note:**

> Each story here can pretty much stand alone, but they fill in some gaps in the story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashara watches Alte and Te'rund meditate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Return and the first chapter of Meet the Family.
> 
> (Jes accidentally deleted this chapter. I'm sorry!)

Ashara had never been good at meditation. Her masters had actually despaired of her ever really _learning_. She just wasn't the type to sit and let her mind wander. She needed to _do something_. That was one among many reasons why she liked Mei so much. Mei understood the itch to move buzzing under her skin.

All that didn't mean she didn't enjoy watching Te'rund and Alte meditating together. Gender aside, Alte and Te'rund were near mirrors of each other: protective and calm and soothing, but deadly when riled.

Ashara straightened from her near-slouch when Alte and Te'rund's lightsabers rose from the floor beside them to hover between them. She'd never seen them do _that_ before while meditating. She glanced at the cleaning kit spread out between them. She'd assumed they would clean their lightsabers by hand. Her mouth dropped open slightly as their lightsabers came apart mid-air, the pieces hovering at eye-level in the precise configuration they were meant to go in, just far enough apart to be plucked out of the air without disrupting the other pieces.

Alte started at the bottom while Te'rund started at the top, either summoning pieces to their palms with the Force or just taking them with their fingers. She didn't doubt that their pieces would accidentally end up in the wrong lightsaber. She knew her own lightsabers down to the smallest imperfections and that was only from a visual inspection. Frowning slightly, she watched Alte take one half of the wooden handle and pick up a small knife.

"You can ask," Alte offered, her voice making Ashara jump.

"Ask what?" Ashara asked, moving from her spot on the couch to kneel next to them.

"Whatever questions are percolating in your mind," Alte replied with a shrug.

Ashara watched her carve swirls into the handle for long moments. "How are you doing that? I thought you couldn't see inanimate objects."

"I can't," Alte said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "It's just something I felt needed to be done. The handle felt too smooth when I first created my lightsaber." She held up the small knife she was using. "Mei bought me this one so I'd stop ruining her kitchen knives."

Te'rund's shoulders shook with laughter even as he kept cleaning his own lightsaber. "How long have you been working on it?" he asked.

"Since Mei and I got our ships and I had knives easily at hand," Alte answered. "Almost since I crafted it, I felt it wasn't quite finished. I like having something to do with my hands, sometimes."

Smiling a little sadly, Te'rund nodded. "Father was the same way. We lived on Dromund Kaas and he'd find odds and ends around Sajar's compound to fiddle with. I think he liked small tech, best of all. He built me a custom mouse droid that could guide me when they weren't there."

"Your parents could see?" Ashara asked quietly.

"Father could, Mother was like us," Te'rund explained, not looking away from his cleaning. "She was Sajar's slave before he was, so she'd mapped the compound out in her mind long before Te'zu and I were born."

"Why were we on Nar Shaddaa?" Alte wondered.

"I don't know," Te'rund replied with a shake of his head. "We weren't privy to Sajar's plans. All we knew was that he wanted us with him." He paused, frowning as he thought for a moment. "He sent us back to Dromund Kaas without him and almost as soon as we got back, we were moved to Darth Jadus's compound. It wouldn't surprise me if he was on Nar Shaddaa to make arrangements for his defection."

"If that's true, why didn't he take you with him?" Ashara asked.

Te'rund shook his head again. "I don't know. Considering Te'zu's reaction to him the last time she got close, I don't intend on ever seeing him again. He may be a Jedi now, but he wasn't when I was child. My parents came to care for each other yes, but they never loved each other." He rubbed his forehead.

"You don't need to talk about it," Ashara said quietly. "I'm sor--"

"No," Te'rund interrupted. "Don't apologize, Ashara. I don't mind questions, just… not about that. Not about them."

Ashara nodded and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek, bracing her hand on his knee. He turned his head at the last moment so her kiss landed on his lips, which smiled under hers. Ashara sat back with a smile of her own, glancing over to see Alte focused on her lightsaber again, but she was smiling.

As she approached Te'rund's rooms, Mei dropped into a handstand and 'walked' into the room on her hands, facing the others with grin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't look like meditation to me."

Alte 'poked' Mei in the stomach with the Force, grinning. "We meditated," she informed Mei.

Te'rund stared at Mei, flummoxed, while Ashara laughed. "You're still doing that?"

"She's still doing it," Alte confirmed, shaking her head fondly.

Mei wiggled a little when Alte poked her, losing her balance. Instead of trying to get it back, she dropped into a roll and up onto her feet. Swaying a little as the blood drained from her head, she turned and joined the others on the floor, sitting cross legged. "You should've seen me after the flight from the Fleet to Coruscant. That was _much_ too long."

Alte giggled at the memory. "Our rooms on the _Esseles_ weren't the most spacious ever."

Mei shrugged. "No, but they weren't _meant_ to be spacious."

"True," Alte agreed. "We talked about my family. Do you mind if I ask about your family, Ashara?"

Ashara drooped a little.

"You don't have to," Te'rund said quietly.

"No, it's fine. I just…" She toyed with the end of one of her montrals. "I've been trying not to think about what they'd think about all this. I have an older sister and my parents are still alive, as far as I know. Plus, I have a cousin in the Order."

Mei reached over and squeezed Ashara's arm. "I'm sure they'll understand once you've explained. We can even go with you if you'd like."

Ashara smiled wryly. "I don't even know where Jina and Suma are."

Alte stilled. "Is Jina her full name?"

Shaking her head, Ashara said, "No, it's Jinalee."

Alte couldn't suppress her snort of laughter. "I'm sorry. It's just… We know her. She's the one that's been doing my piercings on the Fleet."

Mei giggled, reaching up to finger the piercings in her right ear. "She and her partner, Naulia, have become good friends to us and our crews."

Ashara's mouth dropped open and Te'rund squeezed her hand gently. She clutched back. "Seriously?"

"I wouldn't joke about family," Alte said with a kind smile.

Ashara was silent for a long moment before she said, "Maybe I'll take a trip to the Fleet sometime."

"We'd be happy to go with you," Mei assured her. "Or not if you'd rather we didn't."

"I… Maybe." Ashara looked away. She hadn't seen Jina in years. Ashara may have been very young when she'd left to join the Order, but her sister had always been there for her when she was little.

Te'rund's lightsaber pieces floated down to lay on the cleaning cloth as he shifted over to hug her. "Whatever you decide, I'll be there for you," he murmured.

She couldn't help clutching at his shirt. "I've missed them so much. Especially lately."

He just held her close, rubbing her back.

Alte put her lightsaber back together and looked at Mei, gesturing with her head towards the room they were sharing.

Mei nodded and got to her feet, extending her hand to Alte to help her to hers. Once Alte was up, they quietly proceeded to their room. Mei hugged Alte tight, blinking back sympathetic tears for Ashara.

Holding Mei tight, Alte brushed a hand over her hair. She understood _why_ the Council prefered to take in children so young to be trained, but that didn't mean she thought it was _right_.


	2. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to do some sparring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during the second chapter of [Meet the Family](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5892700/chapters/13737016).

Nadia followed her bond with Alte to one of the training rooms in the Jedi Temple. She stopped short when she entered, eyes widening. Mei and Vort were sparring with each other. While her lightsaber flashed and arced, he countered with vibroknives, one in each hand. Nadia slowly sat down by the door, watching as Mei used her smaller size to her advantage, dodging in and out of Vort's reach, while his sheer strength helped him parry Mei's blows with his smaller weapons. Nadia was hard-pressed to decide which was more interesting to watch: Mei's usual acrobatics or the flex and play of Vort's arm and back muscles.

She gasped when Mei managed to kick the vibroknife out of Vort's right hand. He grimaced and moved even faster to counter his sister's attacks. After a few more minutes, that vibroknife went flying, too. Vort, instead of moving back out of Mei's range, closed with her and managed to twist her wrist so she dropped her lightsaber. Then it was a flurry of kicks and punches until Mei hooked a foot around Vort's ankle and sent him crashing to the floor. Before he could recover, she called her lightsaber to her hand and pointed it at his face. He grinned and held up his hands. "I yield."

"Good." Mei grinned back and deactivated her lightsaber. "I wasn't sure how much longer I'd last against you."

Vort laughed and took Mei's hand so she could pull him to his feet. "I couldn't give up just because you can use the Force."

"How many damn vibroknives did you have?" Mei demanded with a breathless laugh.

He'd been gathering them up and showed them to her, "Six total, though I'd typically have more if I'd been wearing my usual gear."

Alte snickered quietly from her spot sitting on the floor in the corner.

Nadia glanced over, frowning when she noticed Alte was wearing her optical implants. She didn't usually wear them in the Temple. She followed Alte's focus to Mei, taking in Mei's tank top and shorts, then ducked her head to hide a smile. She peeked through her hair at Vort, quietly appreciating how he filled out his own tank and shorts.

"Why do you bother with vibroknives, anyway?" Mei asked, picking up her towel and wiping away the sweat that had gathered on her skin while they sparred. "Why not use a vibrosword?"

"That wasn't part of my training," Vort explained, peeling off his tank top before swiping his towel over his chest and arms. "Every agent learned how to use a blaster rifle and vibroknives. Those who truly excelled went on to learn how to use sniper rifles." He shook his head. "That seemed the coward's way out, to kill someone from far away instead of looking them in the face."

Mei squeezed his arm comfortingly. "If you'd like, I'll teach you how to fight with a vibrosword. It's harder to kick out of someone's hands."

Nadia barely kept herself from gasping when Vort took off his tank top. To distract herself, she walked over and sat down next to Alte.

"Enjoying yourself, Nadia?" Alte asked softly, a teasing note to her voice.

Drawing her legs up so she could rest the side of her head against her knees, Nadia stuck her tongue out at Alte where the others couldn't see. Alte laughed quietly in reply.

Vort nodded, wiping the sweat from his face and neck. "Yes, I'd like that. Though I'll probably never manage flips and somersaults like you."

Mei laughed, glancing over to see that Nadia had joined Alte. _That explains Alte's amusement._ "You really won't need them, given your size and strength."

Nodding again, Vort followed Mei's glance to see Nadia with Alte now. _When did she come in?_ "I see. Well, we won't know how I'll do until I try to learn."

"Exactly." Patting his arm, Mei turned and walked over to join Alte and Nadia, squeezing Alte's hand as she sat down beside her. "Did you enjoy the show, Nadia?"

Nadia was very grateful her facepaint was heavy enough to hide her blush. "Yes, um, you and Vort are very good."

"That's very kind of you, Nadia." Vort sat down beside her, his towel and tank draped around his neck. "It was something we'd been meaning to do, but never got around to until now."

_Stars, he even **smells** good._ "Well, you both have been pretty busy up to now," Nadia managed to say without tripping over her words. _  
_  
"Feel up to sparring, Nadia?" Alte asked, squeezing Mei's hand before popping to her feet.

"What, now?" Nadia asked in return, looking up at Alte for a moment then down at her usual outfit.

"Why not? You've fought in those clothes before." Alte bounced on her toes with a grin.

Nadia glanced at Mei and Vort before nodding and standing up. Taking off her robe, she asked, "'Sabers or hand to hand?"

"'Sabers first," Alte replied, unhooking her lightsaber from her belt. "If one of us gets disarmed, we'll switch to hand to hand."

Nodding agreeably, Nadia took her saberstaff in hand.

Mei stood up and rested a hand on Alte's arm. "Perhaps you two should go outside to spar?"

Vort frowned, getting to his feet as well, scooping up Nadia's robe. Someone had to keep track of it. "Why should they?"

"Because both of them tend to use projectiles when they fight," Mei explained with a grin for the two of them.

Alte smiled sheepishly. "The masters would probably prefer it if we don't tear up the floor in here."

Nadia nodded and led the way out of the practice room to the courtyard. Finding a free patch of grass, Nadia ignited her saberstaff while Alte took position across from her before igniting her own lightsaber. The pair circled each other calmly. Tired of waiting, Nadia picked up a large rock with the Force and hurled it at Alte. Alte easily deflected it with her lightsaber and knocked Nadia back before quickly starting a Forcequake under Nadia's feet. Nadia jumped at Alte, landing hard with the Force, knocking Alte off balance. Now that she was close, Nadia drew on her strength with melee fighting.

Drawing the Force into her left hand, Alte deflected Nadia's blows with her lightsaber in her right hand. She propelled the ball of Force energy in her hand at Nadia, knocking her away onto her back. Nadia's saberstaff flew from her hand and she left it in the grass to leap back at Alte who had turned off her own lightsaber and tossed it to Mei.

Over the last several months, Nadia had learned hand to hand from all three of them, learning their different styles. Kira's style tended to focus on precise punches and kicks, Alte's was more about throwing or holding her opponent, while Mei's was a combination of the two. Since Nadia hadn't really learned enough to develop her own style of hand to hand, she drew on her knowledge from all three of them. Despite Alte's longer legs and arms, Nadia was smaller and faster, making it easier for her to break Alte's hold simply by making herself too small for Alte to hold.

Mei easily caught Alte's lightsaber when she tossed it to her, watching both of her friends as they traded blows. She made mental notes about Nadia's performance, pleased with the progress she'd made, all while thoroughly enjoying the sight of Alte in her element.

Vort could only watch in amazement as Nadia and Alte sparred. He knew, intellectually, that Alte had to be good to be a master and that Nadia, having learned from Mei, Alte, _and_ Kira, would be well on her way to matching them. Seeing it for himself, however, was something else altogether. _They're both amazing._ He admired the way Nadia countered Alte's longer reach, musing that she must have learned that from Mei. He certainly did _not_ admire the way her shirt and pants hugged her form as she moved with such grace and dexterity. Nope, he didn't.

Realizing her normal holds and throws wouldn't work this time, Alte decided to let her street kid side out. "Don't take it personal," she said quietly to Nadia before grabbing her belt at the back and lifting to keep her in place.

Grinning, Nadia grabbed a handful of Alte's hair near the root and pulled back. "Just as long as you don't," she replied, reaching down with her free hand to unfasten her belt. It was more decorative than really necessary, anyway. It wasn't like her pants were going to fall down.

Mei raised her eyebrows and grinned when she realized that Alte had switched to the style of fighting they'd all learned on Nar Shaddaa. She didn't quite stifle a chuckle when she saw Nadia grab Alte's hair.

Vort glanced at Mei, puzzled by her laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Alte's switched to 'scrappy street kid' style and Nadia's matched it," Mei explained with a grin. "This'll be interesting."

Vort looked back at Alte and Nadia, wincing in sympathy when he realized Nadia was pulling Alte's hair. _That must hurt._

Feeling the slack in Nadia's belt, Alte shifted her grip to the back of Nadia's pants. There was a very good reason why Alte almost never tucked her shirts in. Besides not knowing how good it looked when she wasn't wearing her implants. With her free hand, she reached up and grabbed Nadia's wrist, pressing her thumb into Nadia's wrist as hard as she could.

Gasping, Nadia's grip on Alte's hair weakened and Alte was able to duck out of her hold, dragging Nadia off balance as she moved. Nadia's feet tangled and her yell of surprise covered the sound of her pants ripping from Nadia falling one way and Alte, still holding on, falling the other.

Mei hurried forward when Nadia and Alte fell, concerned. "Are you two all right?"

Vort started to follow Mei, but spotted Nadia's saberstaff and stooped to pick it up before joining them.

Nadia covered her face with her hands, laughing. "I'm fine," she said between laughs.

Alte sat up and shook her braids out of her face, grinning. "I'm good. Call this a draw, Nadia?"

"No, I think you won," Nadia replied, sitting up as well. "You ripped my pants."

"She did?" Mei laughed a little, amused. "I don't think she ever managed to do that to me."

"Good thing I grabbed your robe, then," Vort volunteered, holding it up. "I hope you don't mind, but I picked up your saberstaff, too."

Nadia took her saberstaff, frowning when she realized she didn't feel as unsettled that he had it as she normally would. She set it on the grass beside her before taking her robe. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled warmly, stepping back to stand beside Mei, who was gazing at him in surprise. "What?"

Keeping her voice low, she told him, "Our lightsabers are our lives. We rarely let others hold them. Normally, Nadia would have been unsettled if anyone besides me, Alte, or Kira had hers."

"So, what are you getting at?" Vort kept his voice as low as Mei's.

Mei only smiled mysteriously. "You figure it out."

He stuck his tongue out at her. _Typical Mei._

Alte sat quietly, smiling benignly while Mei explained and Nadia was too distracted getting her robe back on while seated. "You fought well, Nadia," Alte said, standing when Nadia did. "Sorry I tore your pants."

Nadia grinned as she brushed dirt and grass off her clothes. "I didn't like these ones much, anyway."

"I'm sure Seetoo would be glad to repair them for you," Mei offered. After a moment's thought, she added, "Either of them."

Vort laughed, remembering his surprise that Mei and Alte had matching protocol droids for their ships. "They're both eager to please."

"If I let them fix my pants, I won't have a reason to go shopping next time we're on the fleet," Nadia said with an exaggerated pout.

Mei laughed so hard that she had to lean on Vort for support. Gasping for breath, she told Nadia, "Point taken. I won't say anything."

"Neither will I," Vort assured Nadia, his stomach shivering with his efforts to contain his laughter.

Nadia grinned as Alte laughed along with Mei and Vort. She couldn't help watching Vort, delighted to see him smiling wide enough for laugh lines to show.

As he caught his breath, Vort shivered when a breeze blew through the courtyard. "Hmm, it's getting too cold to stand out here without a shirt." He made a face at his tank top, which was still damp with sweat. "I'm going to go shower. I'll see you ladies later." He bowed slightly to them and turned to head back inside.

Blinking, Nadia stared after him, blushing under her facepaint as the mental image of water running down Vort's toned back popped into her brain.

Grinning, Alte closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. _Today is a beautiful day._

Mei glanced at Nadia and hid a smile. _She certainly **looks** interested._ Instead of drawing attention to Nadia, she sent a mental image to Alte of the two of them showering together.

Alte huffed a quiet laugh and nodded. "Let's head inside, too," she suggested casually.

Finally looking away from where Vort had disappeared inside, Nadia glanced between Mei and Alte. "I think I'll stay out here a bit longer."

Mei nodded and looped her arm through Alte's. "We'll see you later, then."

"Have fun," Nadia said then buried her face in her hands, muttering, "Why in the galaxy did I say that?"

Alte bit back a laugh and headed into the Temple. Once they were out of earshot, Mei murmured to Alte, "Because she _knows_ us."

Giggling, Alte nudged Mei in the side with her elbow. "Race you," she said before taking off running.

"Hey!" Mei took off after Alte, grinning all the while.


	3. Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei and Vort have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after the second chapter of Meet the Family.

On the flight to Dantooine from Tython, Mei found Vort in his guest quarters, perusing a datapad. He barely glanced up when she entered. "Hey, sis."

"Hey, bro." Mei sat down on the desk chair since he was stretched out on the bed. "What're you looking at?"

"Tattoo ideas." He offered her the datapad and she flipped through it, raising her eyebrows.

Handing it back, she asked, "You want to get a back tattoo?"

Nodding, he fidgeted with the datapad. "Yeah. I'm not quite sure what, though."

"Well, all of mine _mean_ something," Mei reminded him, touching the flower on her right arm.

Vort nodded again. "I know. Part of the reason I'm not sure what I should get is that I don't know what it should _mean_."

"Hmm." Mei tapped her chin thoughtfully. "The one on your wrist is for me. Your earring is for Kaliyo. What about something for your other crew members?"

"No. I wasn't as close to any of them as I was to Kaliyo." He shook his head this time. "Besides, it feels like it should mean more than that."

"So, not even something for Nadia?" She asked with a sly smile.

"What?" Vort stared at Mei, and then ducked his head, blushing. "I-- She's-- Why did you even suggest it? She's a Jedi Padawan."

"And?" Mei arched her eyebrows inquiringly. "Do you _really_ think Alte or I would stand in your way if you and Nadia decided to pursue a relationship?"

He gave a soft laugh. "No, but that doesn't mean _she_ would be interested."

Giving a soft snort, Mei muttered, "Now I know how Kira and Qyzen felt when they urged us to act on our feelings." Getting up, she sat down beside her brother. "Trust me, Vort, I've seen her watch you and admire you. She's interested."

"Doesn't mean she _wants_ to pursue a relationship," he muttered, idly paging through the holoimages on the datapad without really seeing them..

"That's when you _ask_ , you big lug." Rolling her eyes, Mei punched his arm.

"I'll think about it," he told her.

"You better." She rested her cheek on his arm and looked back at the datapad. She stopped him from moving on. "Hey, what about something like that?"

Vort studied the image, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "Yeah! It can represent being free of the Empire at last."

Mei grinned as he began refining his search. _If only it were that easy to get him to talk to Nadia._


	4. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nadia seeks Alte out for advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place shortly before the beginning of the Revan story, during the trip from Dantooine to the Fleet.

Alte didn't open her eyes as Nadia poked her head into the training room then walked over to sit across from her. She had a feeling she knew what Nadia wanted to talk about, but she wasn't going to be the one to start the conversation.

 

"Do you have a minute?" Nadia finally asked.

 

"For you, Nadia, I have two," Alte replied, eyes still closed, but a smile tugged at her lips.

 

She could practically feel Nadia rolling her eyes. "How… how did you know you liked Mei?"

 

"What kind of 'liked' are we talking about?" Alte asked, opening her eyes. "As a friend or something more."

 

"Something more," Nadia said, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.

 

"It crept up on me," Alte answered quietly. "You know we were friends long before we became lovers. The way my Force sight works, physical beauty didn't factor into it much. Although." She paused to laugh ruefully. "I spent almost a week just staring at her beautiful hair once I got the implants."

 

Nadia smiled fondly. "But when did you _know_?"

 

"Dantooine," Alte said, looking down at the mat beneath them. "Once I was well enough to move around on my own, the masters tried to separate us."

 

"I bet that went over well," Nadia commented wryly.

 

"Like a durasteel balloon," Alte replied with a soft laugh. "Neither one of us let them. They learned the true definition of stubborn that day. But what made me realize how I truly felt about Mei was that, as soon as the masters even _suggested_ that Mei be trained separately, my heart just about stopped in my chest. I couldn't even imagine Mei not being there."

 

Nadia was silent as Alte finished, chin resting on her knees as she stared at the wall over Alte's shoulder. Alte closed her eyes, returning to her meditation, giving Nadia time to think. After several minutes she said, "I don't think I'm there, yet."

 

"But you will get there," Alte guessed.

 

"Maybe," Nadia said with a slight shrug. "If we spend more time together."

 

"And if he mentions showering again," Alte added teasingly.

 

Nadia ducked her head so her forehead was against her knees. " _Stars,_ I know he wasn't doing it on purpose, either time."

 

"Wait, _either_ time?" Alte asked, her eyes popping open.

 

Looking up, Nadia bit her lip. "On our way to Tython, we both got up during the night to get a snack and ended up talking."

 

"And he mentioned showering," Alte said, pressing her lips together to keep from smiling.

 

Nadia nodded. "He wasn't wearing a shirt at the time, either."

 

Alte folded over her legs, snickering. "If it bothers you, I can--"

 

"No!" Nadia burst out before rocking back, letting her legs fold into a cross-legged position and looking away. "I mean, it's fine. It doesn't bother me."

 

Humming skeptically, Alte reached out with one foot to nudge Nadia's knee. "What are you going to do about your feelings?"

 

Nadia shrugged, still not looking at Alte. "What can I do? It's not like he likes me back."

 

"Oh, honey," Alte said, a sympathetically chastising tone in her voice.

 

Nadia finally looked at her with a frown. "What?"

 

"That man barely looks away whenever you're in the room," Alte replied. "And whenever you're not looking at _him_. Just… be careful, okay? You've been through a lot lately."

 

"You don't mind?" Nadia asked hesitantly.

 

"Do I look like I have any room to talk?" Alte asked with a laugh.

 

Nadia laughed, shaking her head. "I guess not."

 

"Just be very clear what you're ready for and what you want from him," Alte advised.

 

"What about what _he_ wants?" Nadia wondered.

 

"That matters, too." Alte nodded. "Just make sure it lines up with what _you_ want. I don't think he will, but if he does push for something you're not ready for, don't be afraid to walk away."

 

Nadia nodded.

 

"And best not to tell me or Mei about it, otherwise he might end up missing a few pieces." Alte's grin was a little on the vicious side.

  
"Noted."


	5. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vort and Raina meet and talk honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place directly before the second chapter of Revan's Shadow.

"Excuse me-- Oh!" Raina blinked and stared when she realized who she was speaking to. "Sir!"

Chuckling, Vort waved a hand dismissively as he mopped his forehead. "You can call me Vort'ell, Raina. We're not part of Imperial Intelligence anymore."

"Sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I didn't expect to find you here on Tython. You didn't indicate that you're Force-sensitive."

Laughing, Vort shook his head. "I'm not. My sister is, though, so this isn't the first time I've been on Tython."

Raina turned and looked out over the courtyard where Jedi worked together to finish putting it to rights. "It's beautiful here. Did the Empire _really_ attack?"

"Yes." He grimaced, rubbing his eyes. "Mei says there's an SIS agent investigating how the Empire could have managed it."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised. "You're not helping with the investigation?"

Vort shook his head, sharp and decisive. "No. I told Koethe I didn't want to join the SIS when I returned to the Republic. I've been working on a ranch on Dantooine near the Jedi Temple there. No conspiracies, no war. Just wrangling livestock and spending time with my sister."

"I've been on Dantooine, too!" Raina grinned up at him. "Training at the Jedi Temple." Her grin turned into a rueful smile. "We must have kept missing each other."

"Must have." He glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you happy with the Jedi? You don't regret defecting?"

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I _am_ happy, Vort'ell. I don't have to hide a part of myself anymore. So, no regrets." She looked down, scuffing her boot along the ground. "You know, I was hurt when you stopped flirting with me after I joined your crew. I figured it was because Kaliyo didn't like to share."

Vort couldn't stifle a snort at that. "Nope, that had nothing to do with it. Kaliyo would have been glad to share if I'd been amenable."

"I figured that out for myself." Raina smiled wryly. "After you explained about being a Republic citizen and returning to it, I realized you hadn't followed through because you couldn't trust me."

He nodded, his smile apologetic. "Yeah. You were clearly a patriotic Imperial citizen like Vector, so I couldn't let myself get close to you."

"I understand and I'm not mad at you for it." She squeezed his hand again, stepping into his space. "That's not stopping us now, though."

Vort stepped back, shaking his head again. "I'm sorry, Raina, but I can't. We can be friends, but I've met someone else, and to be honest, I don't know if I ever _would_ have feelings for you."

Smiling wryly once again, Raina dropped his hand. "It was worth trying. I'll be glad to be your friend, though. You'll understand at least."

"Thank you, Raina." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Take care."

"You, too, Vort'ell." She watched Vort disappear into the Temple. Then she stifled a curse. "I forgot to ask him for directions!"


End file.
